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Helenslass posted an update in the group
Community 3 years, 3 months ago At long last I have found somewhere to chat with others that are experiencing the same problem as me. My gambling addiction started about 8 years ago when I played on a couple of sites just playing bingo. The small slots option to play while waiting for bingo caught my attention and thats where it all started to go mad. I won 15K and banked it and played every night with the bit I saved and now I am where I am at. I cannot stop at all always chasing that big win. I really want to stop we are now down to just my salary coming in and we depend on it to live. Fortunately I have not missed by bills but there have been times in the past that I have spent all y money and borrowed and sold things to make it back up. I am tired of it all now and I want to stop
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Support for gambling related issues
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Never underestimate the power of the gambling addiction. It is subtle because there is no substance involved and one can present as functioning normally in all other aspects of our lives which makes it difficult to detect.
The first step is recognition that your brain is in the 1% that becomes compulsive, once you recognise that fact you can start your recovery.
I am logical, artistic and talented in all aspects of my life, my gambling was in total opposition of everything about me and didn’t make any sense. I spent years in denial convinced that I could systematically win my money back if I just learned how to walk away each time I was ahead, of course that never happened, occasionally I could stop when ahead but it would only be a matter of time, and not much time, before I was trying my luck again.
It took me 30 years and a six figure compensation cheque that I gambled away in under 12 months to push me to the edge and finally accept the truth, that I was an addict.
My poison was gambling online bingo and slots, I live in the UK. In April 2018 a blocking site became available called GAMSTOP, this site is free and effectively prevents one from gambling on any online sites in the UK. After hitting the 5 year exclusion button I then had one to one counselling which helped a lot. At first life seemed dull without gambling but you do get the ability to enjoy normal things again over time.
For me there were four key issues:
Recognising that I was addicted
Getting help
Accepting the losses
Forgiving myself
It might not seem like it right now but there are happier times ahead when you can take back control over your life and make decisions that you are happy about instead of decisions that leave you feeling low and full of guilt.
My last bet was in July 2018, why am I still here? Dealing with addiction is an ongoing work in progress, like learning a foreign language, there is always more to learn. Sharing my experiences reaffirms my resolve and hopefully helps others, as others helped me, on this journey of changing things for the better.
mozzie55 – Thank you for sharing. I just signed up today. I have done a week-long course to help me stop. It really opened my eyes but I just gambled less for a bit. I have put myself in unnecessary debt as a result. Make me feel physically ill as that money could have gone to so many things. I am putting the block on my phone today.
Hi Liz333, Thanks for letting me know, it feels good to know that my experiences with gambling can be used to help others who are on the starting blocks of recovery. It’s important to get help and support from people that will understand and not judge or condem you, if you have friends or family that can help you speak to them, if not join sites like this and buddy up with people. Sometimes it’e easier being honerst with strangers than those we love. I wish you all the best for the future. Take care and don’t be too hard on yourself.